Representatives from Rēzekne Municipality gain international experience working with rural communities.
In May of this year, representatives from Rēzekne Municipality—Brigita Arbidāne (Deputy Head of the Development Planning Department) and Inta Rimšāne (External Relations Coordinator)—participated in an experience-exchange visit to the Municipality of Ormož in Slovenia as part of the European Union project "Village Power!" (Ciema spēks!). There, they explored various local community initiatives and gained insight into the experience of implementing them. The project aims to foster the personal growth of rural women from eight European countries by organizing creative workshops and seminars designed to strengthen their knowledge, skills, and capacity to become active agents of change within their communities.
The Slovenian partners introduced the participants to the rich natural and cultural heritage—as well as local traditions—of the Markovci, Ormož, Središče ob Dravi, and Svetinje areas. Special attention was paid to the 19th and 20th-century ethnographic collection in Markovci, which serves as a prime example of how small municipalities can preserve and promote their cultural heritage. The collection also includes traditional ethnographic masks used in education, tourism, and community-building activities, including various festivals.
During the visit, the project participants also visited the Ormož Lagoons Nature Reserve and a traditional pumpkin oil press in the Jeruzalem-Ormož region, which is renowned for its high-quality cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil and other local products. This demonstrates how rural communities successfully combine culinary heritage, production, and local human resources to create a sustainable tourism offering for both local residents and visitors.
The active involvement of local residents in non-governmental initiatives—such as volunteer fire brigades, folklore ensembles, paper-flower-making groups, and other activities—was particularly inspiring. The municipality supports these initiatives by providing premises and transport, or by purchasing necessary equipment, such as firefighting gear. The leaders of these associations and groups carry out their work on a voluntary, unpaid basis, further demonstrating the community's cohesion and the residents' motivation..
The "Village Power!" (*Ciema spēks!*) project spans two years, during which several active and enterprising women from the Rēzekne Municipality have undertaken experience-exchange visits; these trips have strengthened their knowledge of rural community cooperation across European regions while providing inspiration and practical experience for their own work and the development of local initiatives. In late November 2025, Anna Macāne visited Sicily, where she explored the outstanding Baroque architecture and UNESCO heritage of the Municipality of Noto in the province of Syracuse, as well as women-led initiatives in the Municipality of Avola—where almond cultivation and craftsmanship are successfully combined with active engagement in local community life. During these meetings, Anna learned about women-led social enterprises, opportunities for developing local products, and community cooperation models that foster both regional economic growth and social cohesion. Project participants also took part in creative workshops exploring traditional Sicilian skills and cultural expressions; they painted ceramic vessels and tiles inspired by Sicilian ornaments and the Mediterranean color palette, and engaged in theater workshops that depicted the symbolic significance of mythological female figures in Sicilian history.
Daina Zvejsalniece, Aija Dundure, Laura Kancāne, and Irina Orlovska have also participated in experience-exchange visits to various European countries.
In September of this year, participants in the “Village Power!” (*Ciema spēks!*) project will visit Rēzekne Municipality, where they will learn about initiatives led by active women, entrepreneurship stories, and experiences in community cooperation.
Prepared by Inta Rimšāne, Ministry of External Relations of the municipality of Rezekne
For information: the project "Village Verve! Women at the Forefront of Climate and Development" (No. 101192012, CERV-2024-CITIZENS-TOWN-NT) is 100% funded by the European Union’s "Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values" programme. Project implementation period: 01.01.2025–31.12.2026.
